Truth by Ignorance
by Cheetachan
Summary: The path to truth is not always a direct one.
1. Chapter 1

_Hi there, welcome to me first IZ story! Note the word__ 'first'_, as in, it's not gonna be perfect. Far from it probably. No flames, constructive criticism sure, just no flames. Now, to explain some things. I'm going to put quotes at the beginning of every chapter. To set the mood. They'll be from songs, movies, books, ext.

Feel free to suggest quotes you think I could use. (Even if you have _no clue_ what's going to happen.) And, OC'S are coming! Yes, they'll play big roles, but the main focus shall be on Zim. And finally;

WARNING: MAJOR OOCness on Zim's part. It's deliberate. It's kinda the point. I'm going to try to keep Dib as IC as I can though. Sorry if I fail, I'm new at this.

P.S. This takes place after the never aired episode "Ten minutes to doom". I know Zim was going to _die _in that episode, but let's say he didn't.

Disclaimer: Oh the sorrow! I don't own IZ! Or (even more sorrow) Linkin Park!

**Truth by Ignorance**

**By**

**Cheetachan**

_There's something inside of me_

_That pulls beneath the surface _

_Consuming, confusing_

It was just another day at school (or _skool_ if you read the sign) Ms. Bitters was giving one of her many lectures on the world's eminent DOOM. This time it was by volcanic eruption. And though Zim loved to envision humanity's destruction, he had more important things to think about. Zim's PAK had been acting up recently. Every so often it would shut down for a few seconds - not a very long time - but it was worrisome none the less, and it would send jolts into him when it wasn't necessary.

_Zap._

'_Errr, not _again!' Those stupid jolts were actually stating to get painful! Before they were just annoying but this…When had his PAK started this strange behavior anyway? About a week ago sounded right, right after Dib had tried to steel it. He had come closer to succeeding than Zim would have cared to admit to, but as always -

_Click!_

'_Eh? That was different.'_ His PAK had never 'clicked' before. Anyway, as always Zim emerged victorious. Really, was there any other way for it go? He was ZIM after all, and that simply meant unbeatable. Dib was never able to destroy him, give him _minor_ set backs sure, but never truly beat him. And he'd survived every death trap the Tallests ever sent his way…wait, _what?_ Well, the Tallests _had_ sent him on some pretty strange missions…Why was that?

_Click!_

Because he was their best Invader of course! They just couldn't trust anyone else on such important matters.

_Click!_

But if that was the case, why didn't they seem more interested in his reports? Except for when he told them how tall the humans were, they never really seemed to pay attention. If this planet was so special, shouldn't they care about what he had learned?

Zim shook his head. What was wrong with him?

_Rriiiiinngg!!_

"All right children," said Ms. Bitters. "Skool is done for today, now get out of my class room!"

The children happily obeyed, running out of the skool as if their lives depended on it. Knowing who the teacher was, that may have been the case. As Zim got up to leave, he noticed Dib in the ocean of bodies.

Dib…Of course! That was it! Zim didn't have any of these problems until _after_ Dib had stolen his PAK!

He must have planted some kind of virus. That's what was causing him pain and what was making him think these ridiculous thoughts! Ooo, That horrible human!

**XXXX**

Dib moved quickly as he avoided getting run over by the other students. Would it kill them to look where they were going? He had wanted to confront Zim before he left the skool; he seemed to be in deep thought. Knowing Zim that could_ not_ be good. But when he'd gotten out of his seat to go over to him, he got caught in the after skool stampede. He really had to learn to wait until after everyone else left to get up.

Well, it wasn't to much of a problem, Zim was a pretty easy guy to find.

"Hey! Dib-Stink!"

See?

"What do you want Zim- Oof!"

Zim had tackled Dib, forcing him to the ground. Dib struggled to get up, but Zim held him down. He was almost on Dib's stomach.

"What have done to my PAK?" He demanded.

"What?" asked Dib. He looked at Zim's eyes; they were burning with anger and hate.

"MY PAK! What have you done to Zim's PAK?!"

Dib continued to struggle, but it was in vain. Zim had a good grip when he was mad.

"Get off of me Zim! I didn't do anything to your stupid PAK!"

"LIES! My PAK's been behaving strangely, and it started right after you stole it!"

"I didn't do anything!" Dib insisted, but it was clear that Zim didn't believe him.

"You had my PAK for nearly ten minutes, more than enough time to plant a virus," Zim tightened his grip on Dib. "Now I wont ask again; what did you do my PAK and how do I reverse it?"

Dib was getting fed up with this. " Geez Zim how many times do have to tell you? _I didn't do __**anything!**_"

Zim looked like he going to say something else, but paused, a strange look crossed his face. And then he (much Dib's surprise) got off of him. Zim almost looked lost. Dib stood, keeping his eye on Zim.

And then, as suddenly as the first change, Zim went back to normal. (Well, normal for Zim anyway)

"Fine then, don't tell me. Zim doesn't need a pitiful human's help anyway!"

"Sure you don't," said Dib. "That's why you attacked me, because you didn't need my help."

Zim didn't reply to that, and just walked away. Dib watched him go, he was about to turn to go home when Zim stopped. The spots on his PAK began flashing, and little bits of static started to fly out. It seemed to be giving Zim a lot of pain too. He just stood there, trembling. And then without warning, he started running, like he wanted to get away from something. Dib had no idea what had just happened, but he was determined to find out.

**XXXX**

'_The pain, the pain! I have to get to the base!'_ Zim thought as he ran franticly, though he wasn't sure he was going the right way. The pain was actually affecting his vision, or maybe it wasn't the pain, maybe it was those horrible questions. Yes, they were back. And they were louder, and there were so many of them.

'_Why won't they stop?! Just stop curse you STOP!!'_ And, as if they heard him they stopped, the pain was gone too. _'Finally, hey where am I?'_

Zim stopped running, and looked at his surroundings, he was in an alley A filthy one at that. There were trash cans and garbage bags every where. It only took seconds for him to realize he'd been there before. Dib had chased him thru this particular alley many times. Well, he wasn't _too_ far off course. Zim turned to leave when:

"NOBODY MOVE! I'VE GOT A GUN!"

'_What the…?'_ He turned back around, and saw a man at the other end of the alley. His back was towards Zim. And he did indeed have gun, and a hostage. A little girl. A crowd was forming around them. All of them were obeying the man's order, for fear of what he would do. The small child was crying and screaming for her parents, it made Zim's squeedely spooch turn, even on Irk, attacking a smeet was _low._

A part of Zim said he should do something, while another said that she was just an inferior human, none of his concern. The girl continued to cry, Zim wasn't sure what he should do.

And then, Dib showed up.

**XXXX**

Dib rounded the corner; he knew he saw Zim go this way…A-hah! There he was!

"Hey Zim! What was that all about- oh no…" Dib took in the whole scene, the girl, Zim just standing there, and the man with the gun. Who unfortunately had heard him.

"DON'T YOU THINK OF TRYING ANYTHING!" the man screamed, jabbing his gun in their direction. "I'LL BLOW YOUR BRAINS OUT!" With that he turned back towards the crowd.

As soon as he did, Dib began digging around his pockets. Of all the days to leave his cell phone at home…There had be something he could do.

_KLANG!_

"Huh?!" Dib watched in shock as a garbage can lid collided with the man's head, knocking him out. The now free little girl ran into the arms of her crying parents. But it wasn't any of that that had shocked Dib; it was who had thrown the lid, thus saving the girl: Zim. And judging by the look on his face, Zim was just as surprised as he was.

Why would Zim do that? There was nothing evil about saving little girls, it was the exact _opposite _of evil. And didn't Zim hate humans? Why help one? This was nothing like the Zim Dib had come to know. Maybe he didn't know Zim as well as he thought he did? Wait a second, didn't Zim say something was wrong with his PAK? Yeah, he did. Maybe that had something to do with it.

"Zim?" said Dib, as walked he toward him. "Why did you do that?"

Zim looked at him, Dib saw no anger in his eyes, only what looked like confusion. And something akin to fear. 

"Zim," he tried again. "Why did do it? Why did you save that girl?"

Zim was silent for a moment, then said:

"I…don't…" He trailed off.

"What?"

"I don't…know."

"You don't know?"

Zim shook his head. "No, I do-" He stopped, his eyes got wide. His PAK's spots started flashing again, like they had earlier. He began to shake, as if he was very cold.

"Zim?" asked Dib, actually feeling a little concerned for the alien. "Hey Zim, are you okay?"

"I don't know…" His PAK started making clicking and buzzing noises. "I don't know." His shaking grew more violent. Dib briefly wondered if he was having some kind of seizure.

"I don't know." Zim kept saying that over and over. He buried his face in his hands. Dib almost thought Zim was crying, but there were no tears falling, and no sobbing either.

Dib cautiously reached towards him, not really sure why he cared. "Zim?" How many times had he said that today anyway?

"NO!!" Zim suddenly screamed, Dib jerked back in surprise. "STOP IT!"

"ZIM!?"

Zim stood there for only another second then bolted.

Dib was frozen where he stood , dumbstruck. After a moment, he came back to his senses. "ZIM WAIT!" he shouted, and tried to go after him. But he lost him.

'_That was weird.'_ he thought. Okay, there was _definitely _something wrong with Zim.

**XXXX**

Zim ran to his base. His sight wasn'tmessed up like before so he knew that he going the right way. But though his sight was fine, inside was another mater. Inside, he felt like he was splitting in half, not physically, mentally. And those halves were at war with each other.

The first half was calling him weak for allowing himself to affected by a human, and it called him a fool for _saving_ a member of the race he supposed to destroy.

The second half said the opposite. It told him that he did the right thing, the girl was defenseless. And it asked why he had to destroy the humans anyway? True they could be pretty dense. But did they really deserve to die?

Needless to say, Zim was very relieved when he reached his base. He practically broke the door down.

"COMPUTER!"

"Whaaaat?"

"Run a scan on my PAK, check for any viruses or damage."

"Fine." A cord shot down from the ceiling, and attached to Zim's PAK. "Scanning…No viruses or damage found."

"WHAT!?" Screeched Zim. "That can't be right!"

"Of course it's right, my scans are never wrong." The computer spoke in it's usual 'I don't give a crap' tone of voice.

Zim couldn't believe that, if that was true, than the problem wasn't in his PAK. It was…No! That couldn't be it! It was clearly his PAK that had caused him pain earlier, so it probably was giving him those un-Irken notions to. The computer must've missed something, yes that had to be it.

"Run another scan."

"But I just said-"

"I DON'T CARE! RUN ANOTHER SCAN!"

"Look, I'm telling you; everything's functioning normally for a defective PAK!" The computer paused. "Oh, wait…There does seem to be a problem in..."

Zim didn't hear anything after that, he was caught on one word: Defective. That word, a word he never paid any mind to before, now seemed to reach his very core. It stabbed into him, like an ice cold knife. His vision began to blur again, there was no pain this time, the questions weren't back either. Only that word, echoing thru him.

Everything seemed to be closing in on him, he was suffocating. He had to get away. He wasn't really thinking clearly anymore, he just knew he had to get out. He headed for the elevator.

Just had to get away…

**XXXX**

When Zim's head finally started to become clear again, he found out something very interesting. He had indeed 'gotten away', very far away. He was in the Voot cruiser, and the planet Saturn, was in sight. This was bad - very, very bad. Whatever was wrong in his PAK was getting worse. Even if the computer couldn't find anything, clearly something was broken. He'd just have to go back to Earth and-

"Hiya Master!"

Zim nearly jumped out of his seat. "Gah! Gir! What are you doing here!?"

"We're goin' on vacation!" Gir exclaimed, Zim then noticed that he had staw hat on.

"Vacation? What gave you that idea?"

"You said we was 'getting away'," of course. "So where we goin'? PIGGY LAND!?"

Zim sighed. "No Gir we're going back to Earth."

"Awww…"

They were currently over one of Saturn's moons, Zim was about to turn the Cruiser around when:

**Warning: Fuel tanks low!**

"What!?" How were they supposed to get back to Earth!? He looked at the moon, maybe there is something there he could use to fuel the ship. If not…He decided not to think about it. Zim steered the Voot towards the moon. It didn't take long, they were just a few miles above the surface…

**Warning: Fuel tanks empty!**

Typical.

"AAAAHHHHHHH!!"

_**Boom.**_

**XXXX**

Zim cracked his eyes open, he was still in the Voot Cruiser. It was pretty banged up as far he could tell. And so was he apparently, he could barely move. This was not how he was supposed to die. If he had to die, why couldn't it have been in battle? That at least had some dignity to it.

"Over here! I found it!"

Did he just hear someone?

"Yeah I see it!"

He did! Someone had found him! But were they friends or foes? He heard a sound like a drill, so he was about to find out. They broke thru, and nearly stabbed him. Couldn't they watch where they pointed that thing?!

The drill was removed and Zim saw just how big the hole it made was. Fixing that would not be easy. Once the drill was gone one of Zim's (assumable) rescuers peered inside. It was a Vortian male, and it didn't take him long to spot Zim.

"Hey!" The Vortian called over his shoulder. "Call the Doc', tell him he was right, the ship that crashed _was_ Irken." He paused and looked back at Zim, Amazement crossed his features. "WHOA! And the pilot survived!"

"Are there any others?" Zim heard a female-sounding voice ask.

"I don't know, let me check."

Just then Gir chose to make his appearance.

"Hi taquito man!"

"Uh, yeah there is, a SIR. But I think his AI chip was damaged."

"Maybe he's one of them dysfunctional units?" asked a deeper voiced male. The male who it belonged to was now next to the Vortian. He looked like one of those rock people.

"Maybe," said the Vortian. "C'mon, lets take them to the to Doc."

The Doc?

**XXXX**

It didn't take long for them to bring Zim to where the "Doc'' apparently was, Zim was surprised to find that they had a fairly good-sized compound on this moon. He was being carried by the rock being. He could hear Gir's babbling in the background.

They stopped in front of a door that read 'Med Bay'. Were they going heal him? The door opened; another Vortian stepped out; this one was clearly elderly though.

"This him I take it?"

The rock being nodded.

"Alright then," said the old male. "Take him inside, and set on him on the table."

The rock male did as he was told. Once Zim was on the table, he heard the old one shout:

"ALRIGHT, BRING THE PROPER TOOLS! PREP FOR PAK REMOVAL SURGARY!"

Zim's eyes widened. PAK removal!? They were going to kill him!?

The Rock being must have noticed his fear, because he smiled at Zim, and leaned closer.

"Don't worry little fella, it'll be over soon," someone stuck a needle in Zim's shoulder. "Soon, you'll be _free." _

Everything began to fade away.

'_No…'_

Black.

**To be continued…**

I hope it isn't too long or too short. So how'd I do? I tried to keep Zim _sorta_ IC for this chap'. But next chap' the OOCness shall begin! R&R please! Wanna guess what's next?

Siochain,

Cheetachan


	2. Chapter 2

Here it is, chapter two. A big thank you to those who reviewed chap' one. I really do appreciate you. So y'all get cookies! Here you go! Hands you the cookies On with the show!

Disclaimer: You know what? I DO own Invader Zim! How do you like them taters?

Demonic lawyer rises from the floor: Oh really?

Me: AAAHHH!! I mean I DON'T own it! It belongs to JV! Him, not me, HIM!

Demonic lawyer: Looks disappointed, and melds thru the floor back to Hades.

Me:…That was different.

**XxXxX**

"_It is better to be feared than loved, if you can not be both."_ Niccolo Machiavelli

**XxXxX**

'_Nnn…Where am I? And why does my head hurt?'_ Wondered Zim as he slowly regained consciousness. Despite the fact he had returned to the waking world he chose to keep his eyes shut for just bit longer. He was aware that he was laying on either a very cold bed, or a very cold table. He chose the later, because anyone who would make a bed this cold and this hard was either very evil, or very stupid. Perhaps both.

The fact that he was lying so flat on the cold surface felt alien to him, but he wasn't sure why. His head throbbed; he instinctively lifted a hand to it. There were bandages on it. He wondered if he was in an accident or something.

_Zap, whirr._

'_What was that?'_ He opened his eyes; the first things to greet him were painfully bright lights. He snapped his eyes shut, waited a few seconds and tried again, this time more slowly. After his eyes adjusted, he looked around. There were other tables, and what looked like surgical tools, so he was in an infirmary or hospital of some sort.

_Zap, whirr._

Those sounds again; he looked to his left, and found their source. There were two people standing by a table; one seemed to be an elderly male, he had ashy grey skin and two horns on his head. He was working on a metal thing that looked something like a beetles shell. It was his tools making those noises. The other person was a female, and obviously much younger. She was clearly from a different race too. Her skin was a tan color, and her hair was coco. Her ears had points, and they were…_Fuzzy? _She was watching the old one work.

Zim studied them for a minute, and then tried to sit up; which may not have been the best of ideas. A wave of pain went thru his skull and nearly caused him to lose balance. He squeezed his eyes shut, and waited until it became a dull throbbing. When he opened them again, he saw that the female was staring at him. A favor he returned. A few seconds past, she smiled and nudged the old one.

"Hey Doc," she said. "He's awake."

"Hmm?"

She rolled her eyes. "The _Irken_ Doc, he's awake."

"Huh? What?" said the one now known as 'Doc'. He looked up from his work, his eyes fell on Zim. "OH! The Irken! Yes I see."

He put his tools down, and smiled at Zim. "Hello there young Irken, how are you feeling?"

"Uh…" started Zim. "Okay I guess. "

"Good, good," said the Doc. "That was quite a crash you were pulled from. I'm Doctor Rob Roth by-the-way, though most simply call me 'Ol' Doc Rob,' and this here is Ami. " He gestured toward the female.

"Hey," she said.

"Um, hi?" said Zim, his gaze went to the metal thing that Rob was working on. He wondered what it was for. Doc Rob noticed where his eyes had traveled to, and said:

"You seem calm."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No, no. It's just that most Irkens would be panicking right now. After finding that their PAK had been taken away."

That stuck Zim as odd. Were most Irkens really attached to their luggage or something? And why did they take his? Was there something in it that they needed?

"So why do they panic?" Zim asked. "About losing their packs I mean."

That question seemed to surprise Rob. "Because they think they need them to live."

Now it was Zim's turn to be surprised. "They think they need a piece of luggage to live?"

That really got Rob's and Ami's attention, they exchanged glances. Pure confusion was on their faces.

"_This _is a PAK," said Rob, pointing at the metal thing. "Yours to be exact, didn't you know that?"

"Uh…"

"Say," began Ami. "What's your name anyway?"

"It's…" Zim started to say, but he realized something: He didn't know. "Isn't it on my PAK?"

"You don't know your own _name!?" _she gaped at him. Doc Rob though, looked like he was starting to understand what was going on.

"_Think," _he said. "Do you remember anything from before you woke up?"

Zim thought hard, trying to remember something, anything. But he couldn't. "No," he shook his head. "Nothing."

"Well I'll be a Blorch Rat's father," said Rob. "We have an amnesiac on our hands."

"That does explain why he didn't know what a PAK was," said Ami. "Or his own name for that matter."

"Hey," said Zim. Their attention returned to him. "You never answered my question."

"And what question would that be?" asked Rob.

"Isn't my name on my PAK?"

"Oh…yes! Yes it should be. In fact, everything about you should be. Good thinking boy." With that Rob went back to working on Zim's PAK. They watched Rob silently for a few moments; then Zim asked:

"So why do Irkens believe they need PAKs to live?"

"That," said Rob. "Is a very long story."

"How long?"

"It starts long before you or Ami were born, back when I was still quite young."

Ami smirked. "Does that mean it's written on cave walls back on Vort?"

Zim snickered, Rob glared at Ami. "Watch it girl."

"Anyhow," Rob said, looking back at Zim. "Before I begin, do you know of the Control Brains?"

"No."

"Well to put it simply, it's the Control Brains' duty too keep order on Irk. They select new rulers - known as 'Tallests' by-the-way - handle the smeeting facilities, decide what job best suits each Irken, and pass judgment on criminals. All in all, they keep Irk safe, prosperous, and happy. At least, that's what they want their people to believe."

He paused before continuing. "Years ago, when Irk and Vort were still true allies, before the Control Brains even existed; and I was just starting in the field, there was small group of Irken scientists. Who unlike other Irkens at the time were cold, cruel, and racist. The most bigoted of them was by far the man named Zar. And before you ask; yes I knew him, I had too work with him on several projects. It was not a pleasant experience.

"You see, Zar believed he was superior to all, including other Irkens. _Especially _the short ones. Hight was always held in high esteme in Irken culture, but he took it to a whole new level. I'd once seen him phisicaly attack a shorter Irken. That got him in trouble, the Tallest was _furious _- Taka was her name - she stripped away his high rank, and threatened him with life in prison if he ever did it again. Which got her his un-dying hatred. But he didn't fight it; in fact he took it rather quietly.

"I knew he would want revenge, but doubted he'd actually be able. Oh, how wrong I was. Not long after Zar's demotion, he had come up with something that everyone had thought was a briliant idea, something that could shoot lasers, project shields, scale high walls, be used for communication, and be worn on the back so it would not get in the way. He called them: 'PAKs'. I was suspicious at first, and confronted him. I remember his response to this day:

"'Why, I'm only trying to improve life for the people in _my_ empire.' An innocent sounding sentence isn't it? The emphasis on 'my' was so slight; I really should have paid more attention. But every Irken called it _their_ empire, who would have noticed such a small difference? Zar and his group presented their project to Tallest Taka; she was intrigued. She gave them permision to continue, but she made it clear: She wanted these 'PAKs' to be 100 removable. Zar didn't like that, but he complied.

"Weeks went in to making and perfecting them, Zar and his accomplices would often stay over night to keep working. Everyone just thought it was dedication, no one thought it was because they were working on _other_ projects. Then finally the day to unveil the PAKs had arrived. Naturally, every Irken wanted one, and almost everyone got one. That's when things went horribly wrong. First, Tallest Taka mysteriously 'disappeared', which sent all Irk into a panic. They searched every inch of the planet; but found nothing.

"Zar was also nowhere to be seen, neither were his lackeys; it wouldn't have been more obvious if they pranced the streets screaming 'we're guilty!' About four days after the Tallest had vanished; all the TV signals on Irk were interrupted, and guess whos face was displayed? Zar's. And what an announcement did he have to make."

"What did he say?" asked Zim.

"Well, first he confessed too killing Taka. He said she was a weak Tallest, and that he was strong. He said that Taka's words of peace and tolerance were making the Irken people _weak_, and he would change that. He declared himself Irk's new ruler, and said that there was no way for the people to resist him. The PAKs and his _other _creations would make sure of that.

"That's when he revealed what he'd really been working on during those over-nighters. He stepped aside to reveal this huge…_Thing._ He called it a 'Control Brain'. He said that he knew people wouldn't acept him as ruler. So he would _make_ them. He said was going to download himself into the Brain, and then send a signal to the PAKs. That signal would 'turn them on' as he put it, and force anyone who wearing one to obey him.

"All over Irk people started to rip their PAKs off, and all over Irk people started dying. Zar said he knew people would just simply take their PAKs off, so he made sure that removing them would have fatal consequences. With that he placed a PAK on himself, and pluged it into the brain. His last words before being completely downloaded were: 'For the glory of Irk!'

"After that, all Irk changed for the worse. Irkens began to act like they were completely soulless creatures. And all those who weren't Irken were either mistreated, or thrown off the planet entirely. And that, my young friend, is the history of PAKs, and the Control Brains. And why Irk is the way it is today."

After Rob finished, Zim tried to take it all in. No one spoke for a while. Then Zim realized something.

"Hey," he said. "I thought you said removing a PAK wouldn't kill the Irken?"

"No," said Rob. "I said that Irkens don't need them to live. I never said removing PAKs couldn't kill them."

"But, how-"

"Nanobots."

"What?"

"Nanobots. Every PAK has them. When a PAK senses that it's being removed from its host, it will send the nanobots into the host's body. Once inside, they will kill the host over a course of ten minutes. But if PAK is reattached before then, it will call the nanobots back, and repair the the damage they had done. In a sick way its brilliant isn't it? Zar didn't want his subjects to find out that their PAKs weren't their life line, so he made it _look_ like they were."

"But," said Zim. "The Irkens knew they didn't need PAKs to survive, how did he dupe a whole race into believing that?"

"The PAKs are attached to the wearer's back. In other words, the spine. They can affect what the host believes, and doesn't believe. They can also affect the host's personality, filtering out anything 'un-Irken'".

Zim couldn't believe what he was just told, it… It was discusting! It was horrible! And to think he had _lived his __**life**_ with one of those things attached to him. His eyes once again traveled to his PAK, just looking at it made him shudder. It also made him wonder: What was he like while it was attached to him?

"Aha! I think I've got it!" Rob exclaimed, bringing Zim out of his thoughts.

"Really?" asked Ami, her face lighting up a little. "So, we can find out who our guest over there is? And, so _he _can find out who he is?"

"That's right!" said Rob, he turned to Zim. "You ready boy?"

Zim noded. "Yeah."

"Alright, let's see then…" Rob plugged a cord from a computer into the PAK. "Your name is Zim."

_Zim…_ That felt right.

"Your 159 years old…"

"I'M WHAT!?"

Rob chuckled. "Relax, for Irkens that puts you in mid adolesence."

Oh. Well, that's not so bad then.

"And you were a-" Whatever Rob was going to say was cut off as sparks started flying out of the PAK.

"Well," he said. "That's inconvenient."

"What exactly was _that?_" asked Ami.

"It seems that," said Rob. "The part of the PAK I was hacking just crashed."

"It _crashed?_" asked Zim. He gave Rob a look that was almost disbelieving. "PAKs can crash?"

"Aparently, yes."

"Well, how are we supposed to find out the rest about me?"

"Well," said Rob. Scratching just below his left horn. "The part that crashed was the official part of the PAK. I could try to hack the part stores _personal memories_." He glanced at Zim. "With your permision, of course."

Zim shrugged. "Fine with me."

Rob nodded, and unplugged the cord, and the re-plugging it into another part of the PAK. He typed a few things on the computer, the process only took a couple minutes.

"Alright," said Rob. "I think I've got it."

"You _think _you've got it?" asked Ami, giving Rob a sort of playful glare. "The first time it sounded like you _knew_ you had it, and it crashed and shot sparks. What's it going to do when you only _think _you've got it? I'm beginning to wonder if I should leave the room."

Once again, Zim found himself snickering. And once again, Rob was glaring at Ami. "I said it once already, but if you incist I'll say it again: Watch it girl."

"Yes, I keep watching it. And I keep wondering if 'It's' going to blow up."

"I wasn't talking about the PAK, Ami."

"Who said I was?"

Zim found it hard to keep from laughing, these two were just _funny._ "So Rob," he said, interrupting their little 'chat'. "Did you learn anything more about me?"

"Oh yes! I did, two things in fact." he gave Ami one more glare before continuing. "According to what I found in your personal memories, you were invading a planet called 'Earth'."

"Invading?" repeated Zim, surprised.

"Yeah," said Ami. "Irk's got this universal conquest thing going."

"Ahem," Rob cleared his throat "The 'thing' Ami's refering to is 'Operation Impending Doom Two', and apparently you're a part of it."

"Wonderful," said Zim. "But, what happened to 'Impending Doom one?'"

"They say some idiot Irken ruined it by attacking his own planet," Ami laughed. "What a moron, huh?"

"Y-yeah." somehow, Zim got the feeling he was just insulted. "What was that other thing you found Rob?"

"Well, you seem to have an enemy, some large headed boy named 'Dib.'"

**XX(Meanwhile back on Earth)XX**

All was quite in the class room, until:

"MY HEAD'S NOT BIG!!"

**XX(Back in Space)XX**

"I have an enemy?" asked Zim.

"Yes," said Rob. "But I'd be willing to bet it's only because you were trying to take over his planet."

Zim thought about it. The name Dib _did_ sound familier. "Is there anything else?"

"Of course there is-" The PAK cut him off with a _beep! _"Oh dear," said Rob.

"What's 'oh dear?'" asked Ami. A little fear leeking into her voice. Not that Zim could blame her, even as an amnesiac he knew that a docter saying 'oh dear' usually foretold doom of some sort.

_Beep, beep!_

"It seems that the PAK is malfunctioning." said Rob.

"So whats it gonna do?" asked Ami.

_Beep, beep, beep! _

"I'm not sure." answered Rob.

"WHAT!?" both Zim and Ami screamed.

_Beepbeepbeepbeepbeep!_

"That's it! I'm outta hear!" Ami bolted out the door.

Zim took similar action, and hid under the table.

_Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!_

_Boom!_

After a moment, Zim slowly peeked over the table. And Ami was carefuly re-entering the room. What did they see? Rob, alive and well! And covered in ash. Ami was first to react to the situation.

"AHAHAHAHA!"

Zim soon followed suit. "HAHAHA!"

Rob however, didn't seem to see the humor. "Oh, be quiet."

"AHAHAHAHAHA!!"

_Beep! Beep!_

"AH!" They both hid again. Now it was Rob's turn to be amused.

"Calm down," he said, smilling. "It's just the communication system." He pressed a button on the wall. "Yes?"

"Doc!" said whoever was calling. "It's that crazy SIR! It's gotten loose! It keeps breaking things!"

Rob's eyes widened. "Did it break anything important?"

"No, but it's headed your way!"

"What?!"

Just then, the door came crashing down. And in came a little blue eyed robot. It proceeded to run around the room laughing like a mad man.

"I'M KING OF DA FLAMIN' MONKEYS!!"

As the little maniac ran in circles, it struck Zim that it, no. _He _was very familiar. He watched the robot a little longer, and then he _remembered _something. A name.

"Gir?"

**To be continued…**

Yay it's done! Does a dance The chapter, not the story. Before you go, I have something to tell you. I have a friend here on Her name is eyelovefantasy, and she's got some great stories posted. A _DragonFable _fic called _Boudica and Amal,_ an _Eragon _fic called _Chilldren of Riders, _and a _Gargoyles _fic called _The Morgana Chronicals: Morgana._ Her stories are still in the beginning chapters, just like my stories. So, why don't you go and read her stories too? You won't be sorry! Hugs eyelovefantasy


End file.
